Witchcraft
Witchcraft is a practice of magic used by Witches that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings from ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Shamanism, Voodoo, Santería, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. While most witches appear as kind and selfless humans who use their powers to maintain balance within the world, it has been proven by multiple characters that some witches are independent thinkers who may go against the Balance of Nature by practicing their powers for dark and sinister deeds. Different Types of Magic Traditional Magic Traditional Magic is one of the oldest and purest forms of sorcery inherent to the Earth and the forces of Nature. Traditional Magic is undoubtedly the most popular form of witchcraft known-to-man, however, it is also the most exhausting. This is mainly due to the fact whenever a witch uses this power they must exert their own energy, causing them to experience symptoms of dizziness, fatigue, and minor nosebleeds. Dark Magic Dark Magic (also coined "Black Magic") is a powerful form of sorcery that draws on malevolent powers and may be used for negative purposes (e.g. to cause destruction or misfortune, to injure or kill, or for the profit of oneself rather than for the benefit of others). While dark magic grants the wielder both incredible power and a way to bypass natural laws, it's also known to cause the wielder great harm. Dark magic possesses corruptive properties as it, according to Alaric, gets inside the mind and poisons the heart. In some cases, dark magic has also been observed to cause the wielder physical harm. Sacrificial magic Sacrificial magic is a form of magic that draws power from sacrifices. The drawn power depends on the sacrifice and can manifest in several ways; including as pure magical energy or as physical powers of the sacrifice. Expression Expression is a form of magic that draws from energy so powerful and malicious that it, allegedly, could destroy the world. Bending the traditional rules and limitations of magic, some witches deny it's classification as a form of magic. While the connection to the expression is created with expression triangle; three sacrifices of 12 people, each set of sacrifices members of different supernatural species, it's not a form of sacrificial magic. Spirit Magic Spirit magic was a powerful form of magic that draws power from dead witches trapped to the other side. This form of magic was controlled by the spirits of said witches, making reliable in the witches decisions. Due to the destruction of other side, this magic is supposedly extinct. However, in one recorded case, witch spirits have been able to return from peace and lend their power. Ancestral Magic Ancestral Magic was an extremely powerful form of witchcraft that was commonly practiced by the Nine Covens of New Orleans. This form of sorcery draws its energy from the power of ancestral witches who have been consecrated into New Orleans soil. Like spirit magic, this form of magic was controlled by the spirits, making it completely reliable in the said spirits' decisions. Due to the destruction of the ancestral plane, this form of magic is extinct. Traveler Magic Traveler Magic '''was a form of magic practiced by travelers, sub-section of witches whose connection to nature and traditional magic has been stripped by a curse. Compared to other forms of magic, traveler magic is tenuous and hence, travelers rely on large numbers and/or channeling of magical sources like doppelganger blood to cast powerful spells. Traveler magic has been used in several unique spells like possession and magic-purification. Due to the death of all known travelers, this form of magic is supposedly extinct. Known Magical Practices Blood Magic '''Blood Magic is a magical practice that refers to the mystical properties found in non-human blood. Blood from different supernatural species possess different uses with those most notably from a Doppelgänger and can be seen used by witches to interconnect them with their rituals and spells to draw on their unique properties. Elemental Magic Elemental Magic is a magical practice that involves the utilization of the four alchemical elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. A witch with enough magical power can interconnect Elemental Magic within their rituals and spells to draw on their unique properties. Witches typically utilize fire, in the form of candles or torches, to aid them in their spells. Voodoo Voodoo is a very old magical practice, that is also a religion, used by a number of witches. Voodoo is described as a set of spiritual folkways which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish and Creole population of the U.S. state of California. Spell Casting One of the main components of witchcraft is the ability of witches to cast spells. Spell Casting is a power of Witches and witch-related species such as Witch-Vampire Hybrids and, possibly, Werewolf-Witch Hybrids to work magic through the recitation of incantations. This allows users to magically alter reality to a wide number of effects or to evoke forces to change their surroundings. Though this is an ability possessed by all witches, it can also be achieved through thoughts, gestures and rituals, although generally spoken. Description Spells are capable of producing a wide variety of effects, both harmful and helpful. They can produce physical or chemical changes in a person or object. They can also have profound mental effects such as altering memory, manipulating emotions, or causing magical compulsion (such as forcing someone to speak truthfully). Spells can manipulate other kinds of magic, such as binding (preventing the use of) a witch's powers, transferring powers between individuals or objects, breaking magical barriers, lifting or casting curses, protection from harm and range from healing to resurrecting the dead. Some spells require more than one witch to make them work in order to increase the amount of magic and therefore potential power available for the spell. Spells and Rituals One of the defining characteristics of a witch is their ability to cast spells; a "spell" typically being the word used to signify the means employed to carry out a magical action. A spell could consist of a ritual action, a set of words, a verse, or any combination of these. For reasons unknown, the majority of spells used by practitioners of Traditional Magic and Spirit Magic are spoken in an ancient language very similar to Latin. However, witches who practice other forms of magic have been known to use spells in different languages. See also }} Category:Supernatural Category:Witches